Too Young to Fall in Love
by eskimita
Summary: In a world where magicals, mundanes, and mutants coexist, one boy struggles to find where he belongs.
1. Night Flight

**This is an EXTREME AU!  
>This takes place in 2013 with all the events of Iron Man and Avengers having taken place.<br>Harry was born in 2000 rather than 1980, he is 13 at the start of this fic. Kurt is 17. Tony is still 43.  
>In this world, magic users focus mostly on transfiguration, healing, and charms. Wands are not needed but there will be further explanation of that later in the story. Every child is tested for magical ability at 8 and then put into a school to teach them how to harness their magic.<br>Lily and James never met, Harry is Tony Stark's son.  
>Work title inspired by Mötley Crüe.<br>Chapter title inspired by Led Zeppelin.**

All societies have a beginning and an end. Some rise out of the ashes of a fallen comrade, or a defeated enemy. Some quietly disappear into the night, never to be seen again. Some are forgotten, their existence dismissed to be myths. History was full of the stories of societies that had come before, of how the world had been formed. Despite that, no history book, no philosopher could have foretold what would happen when the entire world faced destruction and fear together, when all of the societies that had been so carefully hidden from each other were revealed. When a war ravished Europe set out to rebuild, a completely new society, one forged out of common suffering, was born.

It's amazing how one small flaw in a system can cause the entire thing to unravel, how one person overlooking a miniscule detail can cause the crumbling of a society. Every society likes to believe that they are impervious to destruction, that everything will go on like it has for hundreds of years, that nothing will ever change for them. Every society has been wrong. It is not possible for a perfect society to exist; there will always be the flaw of human error there to expose whatever was meant to stay hidden. In the case of the Wizarding World, their flaw was in believing themselves superior to the rest of humanity, in setting themselves apart and likening themselves to being an entirely different species simply sharing the same space.

In the aftermath of World War II, the destruction of London left gaping holes in the infrastructure of the city, exposing things that had long been forgotten by the majority of the population. The rebuilding of London was both a devastating trial and an exciting adventure of discovery. Because of the nature of their seclusion, the Wizarding World failed to realize that they had been exposed until it was too late and the British Government came knocking. Determined to present a united front to the rest of the world, the Prime Minister and King proposed an integration of the magical and mundane peoples of Great Britain. Seeing a chance to silence the building uproar between Purebloods, Halfbloods, and Muggleborns, the Minister of Magic agreed. As the 1950s began, Great Britain became the first country to unite both their magical and mundane governments. Throughout the decade, many other countries would join them in uniting their peoples, determined to bring about a peace that would make the devastation of World War II something that would never happen again.

The scientific community, baffled by the existence of magic and magical humans, set out to find an explanation for them. The research being done on magicals rivaled the research focused on mutants and the Super Soldier Serum that had created Captain America. While most people were watching the Space Race with fascination, wizards and their very existence boggled molecular biologists, neuroscientists, and doctors worldwide. When it was discovered that magicals used the energy of the world around them to manipulate nature, it explained so many of the old myths of witches and wizards that everyone had grown up hearing. Without nature, without some small tie to the earth, a magical was as vulnerable as a mundane. It was the breath of like in a wooden wand, the tie to the earth, that allowed the magical people to change the ways of the world to fit with what their minds envisioned.

It wasn't quite clear what made magic users like wizards capable of accessing the magic of the world around them and harnessing it. Unlike mutants, there was no gene that differed from other humans, mundane humans. There was no reason, biologically speaking, for the magic that wizards were capable of doing. Neuroscience suggested that it wasn't in their blood, as so many of the old wizarding families liked to believe, but rather it was in their brains. Wizards, according to neuroscientists, were capable of accessing 3 times as much of their brain as mundane humans. It was believed that the increased access led to an increased understanding of the magic that the world possessed. The increased brain space did not, according to science, mean that wizards were automatically smarter than mundanes. In fact, in most cases, wizards focused so heavily on magic that they neglected to pay attention to all the other aspects of knowledge available to them. When a wizard did care enough to study the other things that the academic world had to offer, he or she was almost always brilliantly successful. When one of these wizards, usually labeled as a scholarly mage, reproduced with a mundane of genius intelligence, the child was almost always exceptionally brilliant.

It stands to reason that, with three different types of humans living at least somewhat peacefully, that at some point the three would combine, would be embodied in one person. As fate would have it, that was exactly what happened when one little boy was born on July 31st, 2000. Harry Anthony Evans, born to Lily Evans as evidence of her one wild night in Malibu, was born with the increased brain capacity of a wizard, the intelligence of a mundane genius, and unbeknownst to his mother, the x-gene that set mutants apart from the rest of humanity. Had his mother raised him, he surely would have been given every chance available to her to thrive and learn about the things that set him apart, made him special. Unfortunately, Lily Evans fell ill shortly after Harry's first birthday and did not survive the illness. A lack of information about his paternity meant that the state did the only thing they could and sent Harry to live with his mother's rather average, rather bitter, mundane sister. It was the start of what would become a very difficult and challenging life for the little boy.

* * *

><p>The Dursley family of Number Four Privet Drive was a perfectly normal mundane family. He went to work in an office every day from 9 to 5; she was a member of all the local women's clubs and a volunteer at the local hospital. Their son was an average student, a star wrestler, and the most popular boy in the neighborhood. Not a single one of the neighbors could find a bad word to say about the perfectly pleasant and respectable inhabitants of the little white house. They lived within their means, they socialized, and they kept a clean house and a lovely lawn. If their precious Dudley did manage to get into trouble every once in a while, it was only because he was being mischievous, as boys were wont to do. The only blight on the family's sparkling record was their bastard nephew, Harry Anthony Evans.<p>

No one in the neighborhood would openly admit to disliking little Harry, after all he could hardly control the fact that his mother was both promiscuous and magical. It wasn't until the boy showed his higher intelligence that the neighbors could find a reason to dislike the boy for something he himself had done. It just wasn't right, they claimed, that a four year old had managed to build a robot lawn mower from scraps in the garage. No one mentioned how convenient it was to use a lawn mower that they didn't have to push, or how gracious the boy was to mow their lawns for a mere five pence. No, they would only speak of how odd young Harry was because he'd been creating robots rather than playing at the park like other boys his age. When their children came home from school the day of magical testing, talking about how Harry Evans had managed to create a garden in his test, the neighbors knew that they'd been right to dislike the boy. Magicals didn't belong in their normal, mundane neighborhood, after all. By the time young Harry's mutation made itself known, the neighbors and Dursleys had all come to a conclusion: the boy must go.

It wasn't that they had anything against magicals or mutants; both groups had benefitted society in one way or another. It was just the idea of one of them living in their neighborhood, causing destruction and disturbances that they could not abide. Theirs was a quiet neighborhood with no history of disturbances and they wanted very desperately to keep it that way. Despite the fact that Harry had no history of being a disruptive child, all the neighbors just _knew _that that would change because he was both magical and a mutant. They were just waiting for the day that it did.

* * *

><p>Harry had always known he was different. When he-at two- could successfully disassemble the VCR and remove the army man Dudley had shoved in there before putting it back together and making sure that it worked, he knew there was something different about him. He'd used his ability to build things to his advantage, creating the lawn mower that allowed him to make a pittance of money that he stored away, just in case he ever needed it. His affinity for all things technological allowed Harry to push far ahead of his peers in math and science, his general genius spurred him to higher levels in all other subjects of knowledge. Before he'd turned eight, Harry was already finished with all the material the primary school could offer him and had started studying the secondary school materials at the library every day.<p>

When the government people had come to test everyone at school so they could send the magicals to a school that would help them learn, he knew he was different. He'd thought, for a short time, that being in a school with other magicals, he'd find a place to fit in. When he'd advanced leaps and bounds ahead of the other students, mastering the control they were being taught and easily manipulating the magic in the world around them, he knew that he stood out even among other people who were like him, he was still incredibly different. It wasn't until he was thirteen that he knew how different he really was.

He hadn't meant to be here this late. Usually Harry tried to leave the library at least two hours before closing time so he could avoid running into Dudley and his gang. Today Harry had lost himself in several engineering journals, reading about how Tony Stark had miniaturized the arc reactor that powered his tower so that it could be used in the commercial field. It was all rather fascinating, reading about the physics and engineering feats that had been accomplished just to reproduce the arc reactor on a smaller scale. Harry was taking notes, making suggestions to himself for potential improvement on the project. If he could build his own arc reactor, he would be able to do all of his experiments without Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon complaining about the amount of electricity they used.

When he left the library, Harry was surprised at how dark it was. Usually the sun was just barely starting to set when he was ready to leave but today the streetlights had already been turned on for the night. Harry huddled into the sweatshirt he was wearing, doing his best to disappear as he walked back towards Privet Drive. Dudley and his gang were always skulking about at dusk, looking for magicals and mutants to attack, resorting to other –smaller- mundanes if they had to. Harry had always been one of their favorite targets.

"Oh look, it's the freak. Come to tell us how awesome it is to be magical, freak?" Piers pushed Harry towards Nameless Thug Number 4, a recent addition to Dudley's crew. The thug grabbed Harry's biceps in his meaty hands, forcing Harry's shoulders back with his grip.

"Let me go!" Harry spat in Piers' direction, sucking in a breath when the taller boy slammed his fist into his stomach.

"Let you go? Why would we do that? Can't you use your 'magic' to defend you?" Piers laughed and landed a few more blows before stepping aside and gesturing for Dudley to take his place. "He's all yours, D. Let him have it."

Harry closed his eyes as his cousin stepped forward, forcing his body to relax as much as possible. If he remained tense, he knew his injuries would be twice as bad. Focusing on his breathing, Harry forced himself to clear his mind and ignore the fists sinking into his stomach and chest.

So focused was he on his breathing, Harry failed to notice as electric blue swirls appeared on the exposed skin of his face and hands. The vice-like grip on his arms disappeared as a nearby streetlight sent sparks everywhere. When harry opened his eyes so he could see as he stumbled from being released, Dudley's entire crew took a step back. Eyes that were usually emerald green pools now shown in the dusk light, electric blue rings around his irises.

Harry's hand twitched and another streetlight sent up sparks, sending most of the other boys running. Dudley glared at him, fist still posed to sink another blow to his stomach. "Figures you'd be a mutant too, freak. Just wait until I tell dad all about this."

Harry was staring down at the blue swirls on his hands, completely ignoring Dudley as his cousin cruelly grabbed his arm and led him home, ranting about what his father would do to the freak. Some part of Harry's mind noted that he was in shock but he couldn't manage to shake it off. Dimly, he registered them entering the house and Dudley telling his father what had happened. Harry knew that nothing good could come from this development, just as nothing good had come from the discovery that Harry was a magical, or that he was a genius.

Harry was broken out of his shock by Uncle Vernon's sweaty hand wrapping around his neck and pushing him into the wall. The meaty flesh of Vernon's palm constricted his windpipe, preventing Harry from taking anything more than the shallowest breath. Like this, Harry had calculated that he would retain consciousness for three minutes before black spots started appearing in his vision. Then he would be forced to struggle in hopes of setting Vernon off balance and catching a deeper breath.

"So you're a mutant too boy? You weren't already 'better' than the rest of us with your 'magic'? You just had to go and find another way to stand out, didn't you? There's no such thing as enough attention for freaks like you is there?" The part of Harry's mind that never knew when to shut up was busy comparing Vernon's rapidly purpling face to a baboon's arse, drowning out the vitriol that Vernon was spitting. "I've had enough of you, boy. I should have refused to take you in the day you were left on our porch, but I'm much too kind for that. I want you out of my house, tonight. Go get your freak things and leave. If I find out you've taken a single thing that belongs to my family, you'll regret it."

Vernon let go of Harry's neck; shoving him in the direction of the basement they'd moved him to when he'd gotten too tall for the cupboard. Stumbling a few steps, Harry hurried down the stairs, grabbing the small suitcase he'd bought a year ago. He'd started planning for the eventuality of being kicked out of the Dursley household three years ago, thanking the unseen deities that he'd been saving money since he started doing yard work for the neighbors when he was four.

Mowing lawns for five pence each hadn't really made him a lot of money, but using that money to place bets against the other kids at football matches had. The other kids all liked to believe that Harry knew nothing about sports because he was always studying or building something, but Harry knew more about football than any of them. It was all math and statistics, after all. It had taken him about five years to make any significant amount from betting against the other kids, but since he hardly ever spent any of his money, he'd managed to save up enough to buy himself a suitcase and a passport. If he could find a billiards hall that would let him in, he could probably hustle up enough money for the cheapest plane ticket to Los Angeles, the closest he could get to the bar his mother had met his father in.

A discovery of Lily Evans's diary when he was six had given Harry a goal for when he left the Dursley's house. She hadn't been able to describe the man she'd slept with beyond the basics and Harry had skipped over the details of their night together, but she'd given Harry a starting point for a search for his father. Now at thirteen, Harry knew there was almost no chance of his father wanting anything to do with a bastard result of a one-night stand, but he still wanted to know who the man was. He told himself that it was for purely practical reasons, medical history and the like, but the truth was that Harry wanted to know that he wasn't alone, that he wasn't the only one too smart, too brilliant, that there was someone else out there who saw the world in terms of things that could be invented to enhance it. Lily Evans had been a smart woman if the boxes of old essays and reports in the attic was any indication, but Harry didn't think his mother had been on the same level he was.

Harry packed up his small pile of clothes, mostly things that Dudley had outgrown, before turning to his inventions and plans. He would have enough room for the most important inventions, the robot he'd built when he was five and the computer he'd just recently built. The rest of them, mostly household robots to help with his chores, would have to stay. Quickly disabling them ensured that the Dursleys wouldn't be able to use them. Stuffing the blueprints for each of his robots into his backpack, Harry grabbed the bag of tools he'd salvaged from the Dursley's garage over the years. They weren't in the best condition, but they worked for his purposes. Buying new tools had never been a luxury Harry had.

Once his meager belongings had been packed into the suitcase and backpack, Harry climbed back up the stairs, stopping in front of Vernon and glancing up briefly to meet his eyes. The purple of rage had faded slightly, leaving the man red-cheeked and puffing heavily still. Vernon thrust a meaty fist out and dumped a wad of pounds into Harry's hand, glaring at him.

"Don't say we never did anything for you. If I ever see your face again, you'll regret it. Now get out of here. No one wants to see you around here anymore."

Harry nodded silently and left the house, walking towards the Surry Station. If he caught a train into London tonight he might be lucky enough to find a last minute seat on a flight to America. Shouldering his backpack, Harry pulled his hood up to hide the new blue swirls on his face. He would never have to come back to this neighborhood if he had anything to say about it. Now that he was out, he was going to get as far away from Surrey as he could. It was time for his life to finally begin.


	2. This Boy

**Chapter title from The Beatles.**

**This story will next be updated on Jan 26.**

**Things I am not:**  
><strong>-An engineer<strong>  
><strong>-A computer programmer<strong>  
><strong>-A fluent German speaker<strong>

**Things I am:**  
><strong>-A broke writer<strong>

**I claim no expertise on any subject mentioned in this chapter. I wish I could.**

_Petunia has always told me that I'm too impulsive, too irresponsible. Every time I did anything she disproved of, she would lecture me on what a lady is supposed to do, how a lady is supposed to behave. She spent my entire childhood warning me that my wild nature would get me in trouble someday. I always thought that she was just jealous because I was the younger one, I was the prettier one. She always told me that someday my foolishness and looks would wind me up in something that I couldn't handle. I never believed her until now._

_It would seem that my time in Malibu resulted in more than just a fun night with a sexy genius. I'm three months pregnant and I don't even know the father's last name. All I know is that his first name is Tony and I met him at the Pelican Bar. I know I shouldn't have had a one-night stand with some guy I was never going to see again, but we had so much fun talking. Maybe I'm weird, but listening to him talk about the robots he built was one of the sexiest things in the world. He was the smartest man I've ever spoken to, that I ever will speak to, probably. Not many men I know understand the finer points of engineering. I never expected our night to end up this way. All I thought I was in for was a fun night with a complete stranger._

_I'm keeping the baby. I know that Petunia thinks that it's terribly wrong to have a baby out of wedlock, but I don't care. This baby is a piece of me, a wonderful little piece of me. I wouldn't give it up for the world. I know that it's going to be hard for me, raising a baby on my own, but it will be worth it. Knowing that I brought this little life into the world, that someone so small and innocent is depending on me, it's overwhelming._

_Recent studies in the differences between magicals and mundanes suggest that, like genius, the ability to harness the world's energy does have some genetic factors. I wonder if my baby will get my magic and his father's genius both. I certainly hope so. I want my baby to have whatever tools possible to succeed. He's going to need all the advantages he can get in today's world._

_I'm not sure yet how I'm going to support a baby. I have enough money left from father's passing to rent a house or flat, but I'm not going to be able to take care of a baby with it. Maybe I will go visit my old friend Severus. He started an apothecary after we finished school, maybe he'll have a job for me. At the very least, he may know where I can find one. I don't need much to get by, just enough to support my baby and myself._

* * *

><p>Harry knew he shouldn't be here, that he should be searching for the bar his mum had mentioned in her journal, but he hadn't been able to resist the temptation to go to Stark Expo when he'd seen the signs. Stark Expo had been a dream of his since he was seven and overheard a news bit about it on the telly. The News anchors had talked about all the changes Tony Stark had made to the company, all the clean energy technology he'd brought to the world after the <em>incident<em> in Afghanistan. At the time, Harry hadn't cared so much about what clean energy would mean for the world, too fascinated by all of the different inventions Tony Stark had created to perpetuate the change in energy reliance. The chance to explore the advances Tony Stark had brought to the engineering world was one that Harry couldn't pass up. Harry would have to be a fool to turn away from that opportunity and he prided himself on not being a fool. When he was younger, he'd dreamed of going to Stark Expo and showing off one of his robots, maybe even meeting Mr. Stark himself. In his dreams, Mr. Stark was so impressed by his robots, by the ideas that he'd come up with, that the man took Harry away from his aunt and uncle, gave him a place in his own house. He always sent Harry to the best schools, encouraged him to build and taught him things that Harry knew he couldn't properly teach himself. Those dreams were sometimes the only things that got Harry through his days. Even though Harry had no doubt that those dreams wouldn't come true, he would never be able to resist the siren's call of science.

A bus from the airport was going to Stark Convention Center and sneaking on behind a small school group was easy enough. No one noticed the extra body when the teachers did a head count, so Harry relaxed enough on the ride to take in the sights that were Los Angeles and Malibu, fascinated by the sheer amount of people there. Even when he'd been in London to buy parts for his inventions, he'd never seen this many people in one place. The idea that so many people could live so close to each other made Harry feel slightly claustrophobic. He turned away from the window to focus instead on watching the students who were on the bus, listening to their excited whispers about what they most wanted to see at the expo. When they pulled up to the convention center, Harry slipped into a bathroom to make sure the cover up he'd purchased in London was still doing its job. The blue swirls on his forehead were showing dully through the makeup so he quickly covered them up, wishing that there were a more convenient way to keep his secret hidden. Reassured that the physical signs of his new mutation were hidden, Harry slipped into the crowds of people, awed by the sheer amount of genius evident in the building. There were all sorts of displays set up, from high school science projects that had won notice to sneak peeks of things that Stark Industries would be revealing in the next year. If Harry had believed in heaven, he was pretty sure it would be a place like this. Spotting a display on the miniature arc reactor, Harry hurried towards it, blue-green eyes glittering with excitement. If he could just get a look at one of the arc reactors, he could figure out how to make one for himself. He'd already read all of the papers that Tony and Howard Stark had written on it in hopes of learning as much as possible. The arc reactor was the most fascinating thing Harry had ever seen, and the idea of being able to carry one around with him, of being able to have some sort of energy independence, was extremely appealing to him. Weaving through the crowds, he missed the eyes watching his progress from the rafters, brow furled in surprise and confusion.

* * *

><p>"Hey, did anyone order Stark's mini-me because I found him," Clint watched the boy he'd spotted earlier as he approached the arc reactor display. The rest of the Avengers except Stark and Banner were spread throughout the exposition, each of them on Hulk Patrol in case speaking in front of such a large crowd caused Banner to go green. Banner seemed to be in control of his darker side today, so the protective detail was one of the more boring assignments Clint had been on recently. In the absence of a green incident, Clint had turned to crowd watching and commentating over his comm, much to Rogers' consternation. He had just been about to point out the group of teenagers dressed like Avengers like this was Comic Con when his gaze had fallen on the slight figure exiting the bathroom near the entrance. At first glance, Clint was sure that Stark had somehow managed to shrink himself because the resemblance was so strong.<p>

"Start doesn't have any clones. I would know." Natasha was standing next to the podium where Banner was due to give a speech about particle physics, looking for all the world like she wanted to be anywhere but here. Knowing Natasha, she had probably already devised several plans to get out of here if things got too boring for her taste. "It's probably someone looking to claim he's his son in hopes of getting his hands on some of Stark's fortune. I'll alert Pepper before anyone has a chance to make a scene. We need to get him out of the crowds as quietly as possible. Location?"

"I see him." Steve was already moving through the throngs of people. Even in street clothes, he managed to stick out like a sore thumb. His face was just too well known after the Chitauri attack for anyone not to notice that Captain America was at Stark Expo. "He's at the arc reactor display. Should I detain him?" Steve stopped when he was close enough to follow if the boy tried to slip away. "He really does look like Tony… People do this often? Pretend to be a secret love child to try and get a hand on Tony's money?"

"More often than you'd think." Pepper slid to Steve's side and pursed her lips as she watched the boy. He really did look like Tony, except those captivating blue-green eyes. After years of dealing with would-be Stark heirs, she had very little patience for anyone who showed up at a public event prepared to pull the 'lost child' routine. "I must admit that this is definitely the best impersonation I've seen. He's a little short, but he looks almost exactly like Tony did when he was thirteen."

"How come you're so sure he's a fake?" Steve couldn't help but smile as the boy whipped out a notebook and started writing furiously, his bottom lip pulled between his teeth in concentration. The look was one that he'd seen on Tony's face at least a thousand times before the other man lost himself in the lab. It usually meant that no one would see the man for days because he was 'doing science.' "I mean, Tony'd be the first to admit that he's had a rather sordid past. Isn't it possible that a child came about after one of his dalliances?"

Pepper grabbed Steve's elbow and led him forward as the crowds surged around the boy. "It's possible," she allowed, "but highly unlikely. Tony is extremely careful. His father made sure that he knew what was at stake if Tony managed to knock someone up. Tony would never risk the company like that. Come on, we need to grab him."

Pepper pushed through the last of the crowd and grabbed the boy's shoulder, forcing him to turn around. She barely contained a gasp as she met those beautiful eyes. The green was clearer than any of the emeralds Tony had ever bought her, but it was the blue swirls that had Pepper captivated. They were the exact shade of Tony's arc reactor.

"We need you to come with us."

* * *

><p>"We need you to come with us."<p>

Harry glanced up from the notes he'd been writing on a way to possibly make the arc reactor even smaller and swallowed nervously. He must have done something wrong by taking notes on the reactor. Maybe the Stark Industries security team had been told to keep an eye out on anyone who looked like they wanted to copy the design. Taking in the appearance of the people who had come up to him only served to make him feel even more nervous. The redheaded woman in front of him wore a tailored suit like he'd seen on Aunt Petunia's court shows and her lips were pursed in a way that reminded him uncomfortably of one of his primary school teachers the day he'd reprogrammed the classroom computer to play the soundtrack from The Life Aquatic every time someone went to take an aptitude test. Standing next to her was a man Harry would have to be blind not to recognize. Even in Surrey, with how isolated his relatives tried to keep him, Harry knew who Captain America was. He'd seen what he and the Avengers had done in New York last year. Why the man would be coming to escort Harry from the building was beyond him.

Closing the notebook as calmly as he could, Harry slipped it into his backpack to give himself a moment to calm down. He still had no clue how to control his mutation but everyone knew that new mutants were prone to emotional outbursts. The last thing he needed was to accidentally fry or reprogram all the tech in the building. If someone was coming to escort him out, he was already in enough trouble. Ruining several billion dollars worth of equipment would only make things much worse for him. Once he was sure that he wouldn't lose control, Harry met the woman's severe gaze. For reasons he didn't quite understand, this woman made him want to shut up and do whatever he was told. It was an uncomfortable feeling, something he wasn't used to. Harry hadn't felt intimidated like this in ages.

"Have I done something wrong, ma'am?"

The polite tone of voice and British accent had Pepper freezing for a moment. Most kids out to seize a bit of Tony's fortune did their best to emulate his public persona. None of them had ever thrown manners into the act, not to mention the accent. Recovering from her shock, Pepper shook her head and offered the boy a cordial smile. "No you haven't done anything wrong. My name is Pepper Potts. I'm Mr. Starks PA. He asked me to do surveys of some of the people here and I was wondering if you would mind coming and answering some questions."

Harry nodded warily, hitching his backpack up on his shoulder and grabbing his suitcase. He'd debating leaving the suitcase in a rented locker at the airport, but he hadn't been able to bring himself to do it. Barmy Git, his first successful AI, was in there and he hadn't wanted to leave the little robot behind. He was extremely attached to the dysfunctional little bot. All of his belongings secure, he met Pepper's eyes and nodded again. "I'm ready when you are."

Pepper took in the sight of the threadbare backpack and cheap suitcase with something akin to exasperation. That was another new aspect of the ruse. Most of the others at least tried to pretend that they were well off. A few had done the 'my mother abandoned me' act, but none of them had pulled off homeless and poor like this waif did. If this kid was after Tony's money, he was doing a good job setting up a pity case for himself. If he wasn't after Tony's money… Pepper preferred not to think about that. Making sure that Steve and the boy were following, Pepper led the way to a small conference room off the main exhibition hall. She waited until the boy was seated, bags next to him, before speaking.

"As I was saying out there," Pepper pulled out the chair across from the boy and sat down primly, "Mr. Stark has asked me to survey some of the younger visitors at the expo. He's very invested in the next generation of scientists." She smoothed out a wrinkle in her sleeve, holding eye contact. "Do you know what Mr. Stark does, Mr.-?"

"Evans." Harry swallowed when his voice cracked. Puberty was a bitch. "Harry Evans." He relaxed now that he knew that he wasn't in trouble, a small smile gracing his face. "Mr. Stark is the greatest engineering genius alive. He singlehandedly wrote the basic code for all AIs, he's created phones and tablets that are _decades_ ahead of everyone else, he figured out how to make clean, renewable energy available to everyone." Harry was grinning now, eyes sparkling as he slipped further into his element. "Not to mention his redesigned engine. I used the design he wrote his doctorate about to repair my uncle's engine and tripled the life expectancy of his car, not to mention how much money he saved on fuel when I was done." Harry grabbed his backpack and pulled out a stack of documents, all publications Tony Stark had written. "Mr. Stark is my role model. I've been following his work since I learned to read. Someday I want to work in SI's R & D."

Pepper pulled the papers across the table, one pale eyebrow lifting in surprise as she took in the chicken scratch notes that were written in the margins. Some of the notes were plainly written by a child, the letters awkwardly formed and the words misspelled. Others were clearly written by someone with a great deal of engineering knowledge, even having read the papers before, some of the notes left Pepper baffled. "Some of these are eleven years old. How-" she stopped talking and looked up at Harry. "How old were you when you learned to read?"

"Two and a half," Harry blushed and picked at a hole in his sleeve. He didn't like talking about how smart he was. In his experience, people always treated him differently when they found out that he was a genius, generally in a bad way. "My uncle brought home a mechanic's magazine one day and the engine blueprints captivated me. I taught myself to read so I could understand what the magazine said."

Pepper's eyes narrowed in contemplation and she glanced up at Steve who was standing next to the door, watching their discussion. For the first time since she'd started working for Tony and fielding claims of would-be children, she felt the need to actually look into one. Licking her lips delicately as if to wet them, she sent Steve a gentle smile. "Could you please get us some water Steve? I'm feeling a bit parched." She waited until Steve had left the room before looking back at Harry. "You've mentioned your uncle a few times now. What about your parents?"

Harry pulled at a thread on his shirt and refused to meet her eyes. "My mum died when I was a baby. My aunt and uncle raised me."

"What about your father?" Part of Pepper felt guilty for being suspicious about this boy, but her job was to protect Tony from anyone who was after his money, even if the boy did seem to truly love engineering. She would do her job no matter what.

"My father wasn't, and isn't, in the picture." Harry looked up, eyes narrowing as the blue swirls seemed to spark up. "What does my family have to do with anything? Why are you asking me these things?" His eyes widened in shock as he connected the dots. "Bugger. You think I'm here to claim Tony Stark is my father. You think I'm after his money." Harry shook his head and threw himself back in his chair. "Bloody buggering hell." Sitting back up, his gaze zeroed in on Pepper. He completely missed the blue swirls shining through his cover up. "Look, Ms. Potts, it would be bloody amazing if Tony Stark was my father. The man's a genius. I would love to have a dad who loved engineering as much as I do. But that's not why I'm here. At least, it's not why I'm at Stark Expo. I came to Malibu to find my father, yes. All I have is a first name and the bar my mum met him at. But I came to Stark Expo because I'd have to be a blithering moron to miss out on it when this might be my only chance to see some of the most amazing tech in the world." Grabbing his papers, he stuffed them back in his bag, blue sparks running along his skin. "If you'll excuse me, I'll just be leaving now."

Pepper stood as the boy grabbed his bags, reaching out to stop him. She needed to keep him here long enough to get some DNA, to run a paternity test. If he left now, she might never be able to find him again. Before she could touch his shoulder, he drew away from her, shaking his head.

"You don't want to do that. I'm a new mutant; I have no control over my powers. I'd hate to hurt you."

Pepper drew her hand back and watched as the boy stormed out of the room. She followed him to the doorway, startled out of her thoughts by the sound of Tony speaking up next to her.

"Who the hell was that?" Tony sipped at the coffee in his hand, wrapping his free arm around Pepper's shoulders. "Some attempted thief?"

"No Tony." Pepper pulled herself together and met those brown eyes she loved so much. "I'm pretty sure that was your son."

* * *

><p>Harry hurried out of the convention center, barely containing the power that was pouring through him. As soon as he was outside, he ducked into an alleyway and pulled his computer out of his backpack. Turning the machine on, Harry pushed the strange new power out through his fingers, gasping as rows upon rows of coding appeared on the screen. Focusing on the codes he was seeing, Harry used his frustration to finish programming that should have taken him months to complete. He knew it should have been impossible, but he could <em>feel <em>the changes taking place in the coding. By replacing this line of code, he allowed for the possibility of adding an AI, changing that line would make the system run faster. Harry was so engrossed in the wonder that was his mutation that he completely missed the nearly silent pop of someone else appearing in the alley.

"_Guten tag,_" the soft German voice had Harry looking up in shock, blue sparks fading along his fingers. The man standing in front of him was beautiful. His skin was dark blue, designs scratched into it. Behind him, a long blue tail twitched as its owner spoke. Rather than five fingers on each hand, this mutant had only three. But it was his eyes that held Harry's attention. They were the color of warm honey in the summer sun, aglow in the dimly lit alley. Harry stared into those beautiful gold eyes as he closed his computer. He was getting ready to say something, or leave, when the other man spoke up. "Do not be afraid, I haf come to talk vith you, nozink else. I am Kurt."

Harry stood and held out his hand, grasping one of Kurt's in greeting. Kurt's skin was cool against Harry's; soothing the remaining sparks that danced over it. Licking his lips, Harry smiled awkwardly. "I'm Harry. What did you mean you have come to talk with me? I haven't had any contact with other mutants. How did you find me?"

"That would be my doing, young man," a bald man in a wheelchair came out of the shadows, followed by a woman with long red hair and a man with red sunglasses. Harry watched the three approach him, his guard up in case he needed to run. He knew that America was supposed to be far kinder to mutants than some other countries, but he wasn't taking any chances. "I'm Professor Charles Xavier. I sent Kurt to talk to you after I found you."

"You found me? What do you mean by that? What do you want? I haven't done anything wrong, I swear." Harry gripped his computer to his chest and backed up to the alley wall, grabbing his bags with his free hand. He knew that America was more tolerant towards mutants than other countries, but it was also the source of a great deal of mutant on mutant crime. In a situation where he found himself surrounded by other mutants, Harry knew that he stood no chance. He had almost no control over his mutation and the magic he had learned in school had been geared towards healing and growth, not defense.

The older mutant, Professor Xavier, spread his hands palm up and shook his head slowly. "We are not here to harm you, Harry. We merely wish to speak with you. I run a school for young mutants like yourself and Kurt. We provide a safe place for students to learn how to control their mutations, how to accept the changes that have taken place within them. My own mutation gives me the ability to sense other mutants throughout the country, especially when they are in distress. I use that to find young mutants and offer them a place to stay at my school. We have come here to offer that to you."

Biting his lip, Harry thought about the offer for a moment. It was all very suspect to him. The idea that someone would offer a stranger a place to stay and learn was more than a bit far-fetched. His neighbors in Surrey had known him for his entire life and they had all turned their backs on him when he was found to be different. It was his experience that no one was willing to help other people if there was no added benefit for them. Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, Harry crossed his arms. "What's in it for you? What sort of benefit do you get from inviting complete strangers into your school? I don't have any money to pay you."

"I don't want your money, Harry." Professor Xavier pulled a pamphlet out of his lapel pocket and held it out for the boy to take. Once he had, the professor lowered his hand back to his lap. "I offer an education to other mutants so that I can see them succeed. Even in these times of acceptance, there are those who seek to control and eliminate anyone who is different. When I started my school, it was a way of fighting back against a system determined to eliminate mutants. Though mutants may be accepted now, there are still people who believe that different means dangerous. Just as there are those who discriminate against magicals, there are those who discriminate against mutants. All I want in return for taking you in is to see you gain control of your powers and succeed in life."

Harry looked at the pamphlet in his hand once the professor had finished speaking. It laid out different courses students could take, the average class sizes, a few 'success stories'. It all seemed too good to be true to him. "I would be free to leave if I decided that it wasn't working for me? No one would force me to stay, right?"

"Of course you could leave if you wanted. We have quite a few students who leave once they have gained control of their powers. No one will stop you." Behind the professor, the redheaded woman moved to the side like she had heard something, drawing everyone's attention to her.

"If you are going to decide that you want to come with us, I would advice you do so now. There's someone coming and they appear to be looking for you." The redhead placed a hand on the professor's shoulder. "Professor, we need to go. I'm sensing the Avengers headed this direction. I know we're at peace with them, but we should probably leave soon. They aren't exactly thinking happy thoughts."

"Vat did you do zat has ze Avengers after you?" Kurt looked like he was about to take off, golden eyes flicking towards the entrance to the alley as he spoke. "Zey are normally not interested in mutants."

Gripping his belongings tighter, Harry grinned to cover up his momentary fear. He shrugged his shoulders as casually as he could manage. "They think I'm after Tony Stark's money, that I was going to make a claim to be his son or something. I'm not after his money. Hell, I've never even seen the guy. I just admire his genius." Glancing at the three adult mutants, Harry couldn't hide the pleading in his eyes. "If I come with you, will you help me if they decide that I really am trying to take Mr. Stark's money? I don't want any trouble. I didn't come here looking to claim that I'm his long lost son or anything."

Professor Xavier nodded. "Of course we will help you, Harry. I know that you aren't after Mr. Stark's money. If you come with us, I can handle Mr. Stark, I promise."

Giving a jerky nod, Harry stepped forward. "We should go then. I don't think I want to stick around, just in case they aren't in the mood to talk."

Professor Xavier nodded and looked at the man standing behind him. "Scott, if you would lead the way to the plane."

"Of course Professor." Scott turned around and led the small group down the alley, Harry and Kurt bringing up the rear. As they reached the end of the alley, Harry turned back and stumbled as he saw Tony Stark standing at the other end, surrounded by the rest of the Avengers. He froze for a moment at the sight, only moving again when Kurt grabbed his arm and pulled him along. Stark's eyes widened in surprise when he laid eyes on Harry, and he grabbed on to the man next to him, a shorter man with dark curly hair. Around him, the rest of the Avengers looked like they were all in stages of shock. As Kurt pulled Harry along, he forced himself to turn away from the Avengers, focusing instead on the mutants in front of him. The look on Tony Stark's face stuck with him though, even as he boarded the odd plane that the other mutants led him to. The man looked almost as if he'd seen a ghost when he'd spotted Harry. That look was the very last one Harry had expected to see on the billionaire's face. Harry wasn't sure what to think of it.


End file.
